


Bring Back the Sun

by YaminoTenshi202



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Adoption, Author Worldbuilding, Cultural Differences, Eventual Happy Ending, Explicit Sexual Content, Graphic Description, Graphic Description of Corpses, Growing Up, Incest, M/M, Meakashi-hen inspired, Multi, Pseudo-Incest, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Repetition, Sibling Incest, Spoilers in Notes before each Chapter, This is my Meakashi HC for Sanders Sides, Warnings in Post before each Chapter, institutionalization
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:08:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24265651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YaminoTenshi202/pseuds/YaminoTenshi202
Summary: They just had to take one of them, right?Janus reached for one, and Patton for the other.----------------------The King had been condemned, judged by Care and Shield to be a danger to their Thomas. Student held the tiny Guard in his arms. It was a long ago story, and neither Care, Shield, nor Student bothered to tell it anymore. Even when Guard had grown into Virgil, no-one would tell the story. Now, Virgil couldn't remember at all.He did remember that two Sides had been there, in the Castle. Care and Shield decided to live apart, making sure that Thomas could grow well. They each took one of the Sides. But what had happened to the King? And how did Care and Shield know which ones to grab?(They didn't.)
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman Sanders/Dark Creativity | Remus Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Creativity | Roman Sanders/Dark Creativity | Remus Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Thomas Sanders & The Sides, Thomas Sanders/The Sides
Comments: 4
Kudos: 37





	Bring Back the Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The King abdicates his throne.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: My Mythology
> 
> I just found out that it's Roman's birthday today. June 4th! Caloo-calay!

_**Shield** _

He had been watching since before the idea of “Thomas” had been created. When Thomas had come out screaming into the world, hit with the sudden cold and the burst of air that came upon instinct to breathe, Shield had awoken, small and immature, but his love was immediately for the small Creature named Thomas.

He loved watching Thomas grow. Thomas was curious, and Shield loved that. Thomas was playful and giggly, and it was amazing because Ma and Da let it continue. Oh, Shield loved Thomas’ parents! They were amazing and fun! They also cared so much for Thomas that Shield indulged in how Thomas loved to respond to them. Thomas responded to them the same way that Shield loved to indulge Thomas; Thomas brought little presents in his chubby baby hands that grew into a pair of toddler hands to his parents just as Shield would help him grab another block to play with or grab one of his stuffed animals to cuddle with. He even remembered when he had urged Thomas to nurse when he was ready for his first meal!

Shield devoted his existence to Thomas, and he would do whatever he needed - even welcome others! - for his boy.

_**Student** _

Shield had made him. He made Student out of hand motions and out of Thomas’ first communicated sound, the one that had called Ma to them, because that was Thomas’ wish. Oh, when they had grasped language - the Student couldn’t have asked for a more favorable birth! Suddenly, it made sense why things were acknowledged to be different! Milk was not Cereal, and Bath Time was not Tummy Time.

(Though Tummy Time was a bit harder to understand, Student did learn that when Thomas was on his tummy, that began Tummy Time - that had to mean that the experience of being on their tummy - and the end of the experience being the end of Tummy Time - meant Time, the same way that Play Time was the play experience!)

He and Shield had a grand time learning about the world, and Shield always gave helpful hints about when to be more attentive to times to learn. When Student began to learn and absorb things on his own, Shield turned to other things, hoping to keep enriching Thomas’ life with so many experiences and emotions.

Those were kind of hard to navigate, though… Maybe Shield could handle that.

_**Care** _

He was love and in love. He was a bright and beautiful thing. That is what Thomas understood, and so that is what “he” understood.

He didn’t have a name yet, and that was okay. Just the feeling of happiness and love was enough.

He had bloomed out of milk and honey, from Mom’s kisses and Dad’s warm hugs. Shield, the one who had been there first, found him blossoming when Mom and Dad had taken Thomas to the park. Out of a spiel of laughter and giggles, Care had been born. Mom had seemed to feel Bad, and Thomas (and Shield, and Student) had felt this strange urge. He didn’t like to see Mom feel Bad, and Care had come out of the giggles and laughs that came when Thomas reached to Mom, hugging her with his little arms and pressing baby kisses to her cheeks. Amazing! - Mom started smiling and laughing back!

Why did that sound make Thomas want to smile? It made all of them want to smile!

Student and Shield held back as Thomas was loved and hugged, the newly-born Care making sure that the positive feelings inside of Thomas continued to grow until they reached their limit.

When Thomas went back to play - Student and Shield reminding him to be careful - Care came to greet them and hugged them both right away.

“Hi!”

_**The King** _

He didn’t know about Loneliness like Care and Shield did, and he didn’t try to go slowly forth like Shield did. Even when Student learnt something new, he was careful and cautious, wanting to learn everything about it first.

The King, on the other hand, dug his hands in. He and Thomas had first met when Thomas recognized how to make sounds and noises in a way that made things so much more enjoyable! He remembered when Thomas stuck his hands in his wet, shapeless food to experience it and to make it move how he wished.

He had hidden away first, and he didn't pick a name for himself until Student had learnt more words for them all. Shield was first, then Student, and Care...

He gave himself the title of King when Thomas had watched a Disney movie.

When Thomas was given more freedom and when he was ready to learn more skills with his hands and to speak with even more words, the King stepped forward and met his companions.

He had such fun with Thomas and the Others. They took Play-Doh and made amazing things. They showed Thomas how to make a clay village, moving people about. When Care studied other people, like Mom and Dad, the King could give their toys and roles emotions. Soon, they were Creating worlds and Thomas was the greatest story-teller that the King could have ever served.

He never had to sleep, either! He could just keep going and going and going and going...

**_Guard_ **

He came when Thomas had seen something that had unsettled him. He had been dreaming since his conception, when Thomas was only able to cry and wiggle about. (Shield had handled everything before.) However, now that Thomas knew what “hurt” and “the unknown” was, he opened his eyes and saw Shield there.

Shield brought Guard close, cooing and whispering little encouragements. Oh, Guard was small, but he’d grow up to be bigger, and he’d protect Thomas from the Bad Things! He'd keep all the Good Things safe, too!

One day, Shield did something that Care didn't like, and Shield went away. He'd always come to visit, though, because he knew how to teach Guard better than Care did. Care didn't mind. Guard didn't mind that Shield's face seemed a bit different now; they were meant to change and grow with Thomas, after all.

Guard was just really happy that he was looked after and cared for. It had been lonely in the dark before he had awoken. He wasn't like the King, who didn't really understand that he could be lonely, nor was he like Student, who seemed to be more and more bothered with feelings as they all got older.

One day, Thomas made a solid idea. He was terrified of spiders.

Guard sighed, remembering what the King and Shield had done before. They were powerful, they were there for Thomas, and if Thomas needed something now, it was a spider that would be on his side.

Guard showed his first web to Shield the day that Thomas had read about the Very Busy Spider. Shield and the King clapped for him. Care and Student merely nodded.

He had been with the King that day, when the Bad Thing happened. Thomas was upset, angry at one of his brothers, and the Bad Feelings came too. Care hid away, crying over the feelings, while Student comforted him. Shield had nodded to Guard to go check on their boy.

The King and Thomas were drawing together, and that was when Guard saw it.

The white-yellow light of Creativity overwhelming everything.

* * *

##  **_Bring Back the Sun_**

* * *

It had been something simple at first, just a game that Thomas engaged in. Occasionally, his Creativity would spark with a violent tendency; after all, how many children could resist a game of tag with harsh shoves or ball games where children throw the ball just a bit too hard.

Then Thomas started hearing the faint giggles and laughs of Creativity as he drew himself with powers hurting his brother. It couldn't happen for real, but he had just been so mad that day, and he wanted to draw his feelings out. He never liked hurting his brothers; Creativity was always a good planner for these things.

When he drew or painted, all of Thomas' bad feelings went away, pulled out of him by some amazing force that made something powerful and full of meaning things.

And then...

The Bad Day happened.

* * *

"Why would you do that?"

Care hit at the King's chest, his tears glittering down his cheeks. Student was standing off to the side, watching both of the older Sides with scrutinizing eyes.

Guard was trying to stay calm in Student's embrace. His trembling was growing stronger than last time; Thomas had a great fear of spiders, so the Guard had picked up the animal's strengths. Student was kept to Guard's hold on him, sticky spider-web keeping them together.

"What do you mean?" The King winced as Care's hidden claws dug into his arms. He thought the day had been fine, and his art flowing through Thomas' fingers had felt so wonderful.

"Thomas got in trouble. He was crying!"

The King felt his mouth turn into a small frown. He knew what had happened. Thomas had been upset, and so the King came to console his host the best way that he could. He whispered words of comfort, of love to his boy, to his whole reason for existing in the first place, and he had let the bad feelings settle themselves in the fingers that Thomas could Create with. Those bad feelings came out through the violent red crayon; it wasn't like he ever really wanted Thomas to do those things to an animal! He just wanted Thomas to feel better, and Thomas did!

Those giggles that spilled from Thomas' lips were everything that the King had ever wanted, everything that the King could ever ask for!

He hadn't thought that Mom and Dad would punish Thomas for it.

Care had taken over then, helping Thomas explain through his tears that he had been so upset and wanted to just draw to make the feelings go away; Mom and Dad, however, didn't like that explanation. They took Thomas to the table and explained why he shouldn't draw things like that, that these scary things could hurt people by making them even more afraid than they already were, and people might worry about Thomas in a way that said that Thomas could be hurtful or mean to them.

Care tried to keep those tears from coming up, but Thomas continued to cry and accepted his Time-Out. He ate his dinner but hurried ran to his room, crawling into bed, and covering himself in his blanket. His Disney poster stood guard over him just as Guard did. Guard's whispered words - "It's okay. We just have to not do that again, or else Mommy and Daddy will be mad at us again." - and Student's helpful words - "Drawing something like that must have worried Mom and Dad. Maybe they thought you wanted to hurt someone so that's why we had the talk." - were a bit helpful in calming the crying boy, but the King had stayed silent.

It was just a picture. Even as the King and Thomas had imagined it in the big Imagination, perfectly visible through Thomas' partially detailed vision - he'd never seen intestines like that before, thinking of the inside of living creatures more like the inside of his old teddy bear - the King and Thomas had never thought to bring it into the Real World.

It was just to make those feelings go away, just for a minute.

"He's okay now, isn't he?"

"That shouldn't have happened in the first place."

The King frowned, glaring that the Shield. The Shield's golden eyes were fixed on him, but the King focused more on the strange left eye. It hadn't looked like that before, right?

Care glared, pulling the King closer to him. Care and Shield started fighting each other when Thomas was around four years old. Shield had wanted to get Thomas to take the leftover cookies that he was supposed to save for Dad, but Care had argued against that. From that day on, Care started saying that Shield did too many Bad Things, so Shield lived in a different part of their home. Only Guard ever tried to visit Shield, because Shield was in charge of teaching Guard how to protect Thomas.

"I didn't think-"

"Of courssse!" Shield stepped forward, his extra arms appearing to grab at the King's ankles. Held in place, the King growled as Shield came close, his green-yellow eye staring at him. "You don't think! You can't fully understand that Thomas faces the reactions to the actions that you make him do! You control his left arm, the arm that he uses he most, to do beautiful things, but you make him do these awful things too!

"I am on Care's side; I won't let you keep hurting Thomas!"

"I didn't mean to hurt him!" The King felt the fire of Imagination burn inside his bones. "You think that everything I have done, everything that I could be, has only been for myself?! More than anyone, I know what you all think of me! More than anyone, I know what everyone could think if all of Thomas' Creativity was unleashed on the world outside, in the Real World! You dare think that I cannot understand-?"

"No, you don't understand."

Student stepped forward, shaking his head. "You're the Imagination. Real World rules aren't part of you. Nothing is like the Disney movies or the toys that Mom and Dad have given us."

"That doesn't mean-!"

"You have broken so many rules, King." Care sighed. "Shield and I made the rules so that we could help Thomas, so we could raise him to be the best Thomas that he could ever be! You hurt other kids; you made those scary pictures; and I know that you keep telling Thomas to do dangerous things."

Guard muttered something. Student went to Guard and asked him to repeat himself, which the small Side did.

"Really, Your Majesty?" Student hissed out the title. "You've been telling our Thomas to jump out of the car when Mom and Dad are driving?"

"It's not a serious suggestion!" The King remembered when the thought first popped into his head, a coarse whisper that wanted to be recognized for a moment before disappearing. The King always knew which of his Creations wanted to be taken seriously or not, and the Others didn't seem to understand how that worked. "How often does Guard have to explain that something bad could happen if - and only if! - Thomas does something dangerous? I am making sure that Thomas knows that if something happens, we can picture it."

"And how much guilt has Care had to manage?" Shield hissed in his ear. "Thomas is feeling worse over the things that you envision, and I will not let you hurt Thomas, my Thomas!"

The King held back a whimper at how Shield had claimed Thomas, but he had since the Beginning. Shield was there from the moment Thomas came into existence. Shield and Thomas were meant to always be together, and the King could feel the amount of love and protectiveness that Shield had for their boy. Care and Student never sounded so jealous, but Guard sometimes did. And what about the King? Why couldn't he have Thomas too? Why couldn't everyone see that he wanted Thomas to care about him, all of him?

Why couldn't the King love him as much as Shield and Guard did, in that way that didn't hold back?

"He's not just your-

The King grunted, letting out a cough as Shield somehow hit him. How?

"Shield!" Care pulled the King close, the King's mouth agape as Shield's third arm stayed in the shape of a fist. Guard shivered, being picked up by Student. "What's happened to you?"

"Thomas needs all of us, and I will not let anyone or anything limit me in making sure that we are what he needsss!" Shield hissed, the last sound of his last word devolving into a serpent's hiss.

The King realized what the change in Shield's eye meant; Shield had changed into something far more driven on instinct. What would happen if-

"What do you want to do to me?" The King shuddered when Care's claws didn't release him, and when he looked to Student and Guard, their eyes were different too. "What are you going to do?"

"It's the best thing that we have thought of, Creativity," Student explained, his own wide eyes transfixed on the space around all of them. "We're going to fix you."

Guard looked up and stammered something to Student, but the older boy covered Guard's mouth. Student turned Guard in his arms, holding him close.

"F-Fix me?"

Care closed his eyes, digging his claws in, and Shield was suddenly there, burying fangs into his shoulder. The King screamed, and a bright light - white-yellow, just like sunshine - flooded out of him.

His last thoughts were of his Thomas, his boy that he had made smile and cry and enraged and had lulled into slumber. He wanted to see his boy's smile again, but he wanted to be good. He wanted to be there for his Thomas, to show him everything that could be good and everything that could be bad in the world and in the Real World.

If he could have spoken, he would have asked for someone to be there! He wanted someone to show Thomas everything that the King had wanted to show him.

He wanted someone to show Thomas that ugly things, like the caterpillars that ate at Dad's plants or the scary movies, were things that he could love. He wanted to show Thomas that everyone had Shield, that everyone sometimes lived for themselves and Thomas needed to be creative to stay safe! He wanted his Thomas to live every fantasy - in this world or the Real World - and let him know that yes, Thomas is loved, no matter what!

They needed him to know!

...

They?

Us!

But who-

It hurts!

It's lonely.

Wait...

It hurts so bad!

Where are you-

Don't let me go!

Stay!

Stay with me!

* * *

When the white-yellow light faded, Care groaned. He was somehow on the ground in the middle of the Mind, the perfect image of Thomas' room at the moment. He felt the warm body on top of him and looked.

"Shield?"

"Care, what on Earth was that?" Shield pulled away, trying not to be so obvious as he looked over Care. Shield had always been protective of everyone, even if he had already left them. "Guard, Student?"

"We're all right." Student uncurled from his position around little Guard, who had pulled up his hood and tried to tie himself into the fabric.

"W-What happened?" Guard pulled away from Student, who fixed the glasses that Thomas had imagined for him not too long ago. He ran over to Shield and Care, who were slowly standing up. Student came close as well, grabbing Care's hand.

"The King isn't here."

"Where could he be, guys?" Guard whimpered, letting Shield pick him up with two arms that held the little Guard on his back.

"We can check the Imagination. That's where he may have hidden from us," Care said. His body felt so heavy, so tired. He knew that he grabbed onto the brightness inside of the King, had pulled in the way that had woken him up before.

Shield sighed and nodded. Guard pressed his face to the back of Shield's neck, letting out a small hiss. It wasn't a threat but a noise of comfort. Shield hissed back gently. Student let Care lean on him for support.

The image of Thomas' room around them was still, their boy still asleep and oblivious to the commotion.

"Let's go. The faster we get him, the sooner we can come back to Thomas." Student received nods from all of his companions and they all let him pull them down to the Gates of the Imagination.

* * *

"Welcome, travelers, fine Rulers in our lovely Thomas!" The guards at the door welcomed the four of them, lowering their voices when Guard hid his face in Shield's neck. "Pardon us, Great Guard."

"Um, thanks?"

"Thank you for your warm welcome," Care chirped. "Would we be able to have an audience with the King of Creativity?"

The constable, head of the guards, came forward and sadly shook his head. "My apologies, Ruler of Care, but our King has not made themselves known to us in a while now. They have been on a pilgrimage in the name Thomas."

A young woman, aristocratic in air and appearance, nodded, assuring them, "Yes. They set out as quickly as they had come. I don't know how much time has passed for you, dear Rulers, but it has been five days for us. His Majesty had said that they would be back on the seventh day since their departure."

Shield turned to Student.

"Do you think we should wait here for him?"

Student nodded.

"It'd be best. We could wait for him in one of the villas that we usually stay in. That way we won't miss him when he returns."

The young woman nodded and led the Rulers of Care, Guardianship, Learning, and Protection to the Eastern Villa. The four quietly followed, seeing that there were some changes to the capital of the Imagination, Songeri.

"The flags are down," Shield noticed, shifting Guard in his arms.

"Yes, that is customary when the King is gone." The noblewoman smiled, waving to their transport. A large carriage approached, two dark horses with silvers wings folded back pulling the carriage. "Here, my Lords, they shall take you to the Eastern Villa in my stead."

"Oh, are you busy? Pardon us for taking your time," Student said, watching as his companions took their seats.

"We are preparing for the coming of the King, which is always a celebration for when we see them! New flags to be adorned in their new era of reign, you see," the woman explained. "And we are all greeted by bluebirds in the morning, so that we know the name to cheer when we see them."

"Name?"

"Oh, yes. You see, when Our Thomas first named the King, He chose Philip. Then our King was chose the name Eilon, after one of Our Thomas' fair princesses. On and on it has gone, and now we will know the new name of the King of Creativity, which is always a glorious occasion!" The noblewoman gestured to the carriage, who curtseyed to Student, who gave a shallow bow back before getting into the carriage.

"A new name, huh?"

* * *

Kings often have contingency plans, and the King of Creativity was no exception. Thomas had seen so many movies in his short life that he had fed the King and Student both quite heavily. While absorbing faerie tales and myths of lands both Real and imaginary, the King had learnt that there was more to being King than ruling. There were evil plots and sorcerers that could turn against the kingdom; there were those that could be key in a plot that needed to be monitored and would need to be in alliance with the King in order to protect those under his rule; and other hardships included attempts at regicide and the horror of sacrilege or blasphemy against their higher power.

For this reason, contingency plans were always needed.

The King of Creativity had sworn to Thomas that his duty was to help fulfill Thomas' dreams and ideas of companionship and romance; this was on the day that the King was granted his Crown and given his kingdom to rule over. His kingdom had bloomed hand over fist, Thomas indulging both the King and Student. The King occasionally asked for Student about money and population in order to better care for his citizens. They had begun abstract but had settled into a beautiful civilization of humans, those who were human-like, magical creatures, and animals that could speak. The kingdom had expanded into a large country, every feature of land present. From the taigas in the south, to the Great Sea of Mira in the north, the King had Created plans, ones that would ensure that his Thomas would be taken care of.

Right now, there was only one that he needed to complete.

Now, in the forests of Traum, he had come to rest in the cottage that he had built years ago.

In the five days that he had been gone from his Kingdom, the King had brought the light that had surrounded him - that ridiculously bright white-yellow light - around the Kingdom before settling into his small haven. In that time, the light had separated into white and yellow. He settled them onto the cushion that he had laid on the floor by the fireplace, spreading out the feather mattress that he would use for sleep while he was there. As he settled in, the King reached over and swallowed each light whole, in quick succession.

With that, he fell asleep.

He thought of his Thomas, his lovely boy who the King had lived for and had prioritized even above his citizens, and he fell deep into slumber.

The King abdicated his throne, thus, and the new era began on the seventh day when the bluebirds sang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come run away, with cabbages and kings!


End file.
